Pine Knob
Loop is one of those
easily accessible trails that
offers a peaceful forest walk and
a hearty hike up two separate
peaks. If you're the type
that likes to pull your car off
the main through-way and bounce up
a mountain or two, this is your
place. The 2.5 mile Loop
main entrance is right off of
Route 7 in Cornwall. The
hike through here is primarily a
forest view. There are
couple of really nice vistas along
the way and you should sit and
rest at these points and take in
the view. The best view on
the path is the one overlooking
the Housatonic Meadows State
Park/campground (you can actually
drive up to the state park instead
of parking at Pine Loop entrance
and walk across Route 7 and over
to the woods. You'll see a path
going in and this also leads up to
the aforementioned peak).
The view is mostly southeast
and you get a classic rolling
hills, river valley scene as the
hills rise above the Housatonic
River. (Tom Sawyer and Huck
Finn would have loved a spot like
this.) The campground and
cars proceeding on Rt 7 look like
miniatures from this vantage point
as the world you just came from
takes on a whole different
perspective from here.
(If you just want this
view/hike, park you car at the
Housatonic Meadows campground at
the ranger's station which is just
off Route 7 and a few minutes
north of the Pine Knob Loop main
trail entrance. Once you've
parked in the campground walk
across 7 and through a short field
to find the trail markings.)
If you do the whole loop
you will have climbed up two
peaks, 1,120 ft. and 1,160 ft.
Near by attractions include
fly-fishing on the Housatonic
which can be accessed right across
the street from the Pine Loop
parking lot. (Careful crossing
Rt. 7 to access the Housatonic
River. It's very dangerous with
a deceptive curve that makes it
hard to gauge if there's a car
coming or not. Route 7 traffic
travels from 40-60 m.p.h here.
Use your ears as much as your
eyes before crossing the street.
Never take your eyes off of
small children if they are near
the road.) Right up
the road from Pine Knob Loop is
Cornwall Covered Bridge which is
an historical landmark and offers
some wonderful views of the
Housatonic as it flows through
town.
The vistas from Pine Knob are
perfect for watching a chicken
hawk or turkey vulture ride the
thermals throughout the day in
search of their next meal.
Lie back and take a rest;
it's likely one of these guys will
buzz close by as their eyesight is
unbelievable and they're always
checking out their environment.
(Years ago, my brother and I took
two cousins visiting from Texas up
this trail. As we sat at the
top and looked out over the
valley, we heard what we thought
was a lear jet coming a little to
close to the mountain. All
of us became more than a little
concerned as this sound came at us
fast and furiously. I
honestly believed that a plane was
crashing into the mountain and
just as I was about to dive for
cover I saw a hawk or falcon with
its wings drawn back looking like
a missile. It exploded past
us and crashed into an
unsuspecting bird or rabbit.
It happened so fast that I
couldn't tell what prey it had
hunted. To this day, I've
never experienced a wild animal
moment like that again.
Unbelievable! I had never known
that hawks made such an amazing,
powerful sound as they dived for
their prey.
Directions: Take
Rt. 7 north to Cornwall. At
the junction of Rt 4 and Rt 7,
continue on Rt. 7 north for one
mile. The sign for Pine Knob
Loop is on the left hand side.
Go slowly because it's easy
to drive by the dirt parking lot
which accesses the trail head.
If you have problems proceed
to the The Housatonic Meadows
State Park campground which is
about a 1/2 mile up from Pine Knob
and ask the ranger about the
trail. (
You can also try
Mapquest.com for custom
directions.
)
Printable
version of the Pine Knob page
If you have any trail updates to
share or have feedback/questions
please click
here to send email or call
203.788.7665
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